NNSA Blog

NNSA has released its 2016 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP). The plan documents NNSA’s 25-year strategic plan for accomplishing its core stockpile stewardship mission area of maintaining the safety, security and effectiveness of the nuclear stockpile without nuclear testing.

The SSMP describes NNSA’s comprehensive approach to maintaining and recapitalizing the scientific and production infrastructure of the nation’s nuclear security enterprise.

As the SSMP details, NNSA’s life extension program remain on schedule and on budget. Significant changes from the last SSMP include: the W88 Alteration 370 effort; the cruise missile warhead life extension program (LEP) is now designated as the W80-4 LEP; additional resources have also been requested to ensure the nation’s long-term ability to perform highly-enriched uranium operations at Y-12 and at Los Alamos National Laboratory; and the revised the Uranium Processing Facility Project design concept.

Medical patients, both locally and potentially nationwide, should be the beneficiaries of the first-ever public-private partnership agreement between National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec), and Henderson, Nevada-based Global Medical Isotope Systems, LLC (GMIS). The agreement on research and development aims to enable production of an essential radioactive isotope used in millions of medical diagnostic imaging procedures every year.

Known primarily as the management and operations contractor for the Nevada National Security Site, NSTec is leveraging its traditional national security role with the signing of its first CRADA. The agreement describes NSTec’s technical integration, modeling, materials, and design support to GMIS’s mission in the development and deployment of a ground-breaking approach in the production of the radioactive isotope - molybdenum-99 (Mo-99).

NNSA recently celebrated the successful completion of the Uranium Processing Facility site readiness subproject at Y-12. The project was completed $20 million under budget, on schedule and work was achieved with more than 600 days without a recordable accident or injury.

The project included the Bear Creek Road extension and the creation of a haul road.

The successful delivery of the project signifies the first milestone of moving UPF forward and meeting NNSA’s commitment to cease programmatic operations in Building 9212 by 2025 for a cost not to exceed $6.5 billion. UPF is the U.S. Department of Energy’s single largest capital investment in Tennessee since World War II and NNSA’s largest-ever construction project. UPF will replace the hub of the nation’s uranium processing operations.

This week, NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Madelyn Creedon was at the Savannah River Site. She visited the nation’s only center for extracting, recycling and processing tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that is a vital component to the nation’s nuclear defense. She also visited SRS’ facilities for supporting NNSA’s Nonproliferation-Material Management & Disposition program, and the Savannah River National Laboratory, which is an integral part of the Savannah River Tritium Enterprise, in addition to being an important contributor to NNSA’s nonproliferation missions.

About the photos:Lee Schifer, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Director of Tritium Operations, and NNSA-Savannah River Field Office Manager Doug Dearolph, show Creedon the Savannah River Tritium Enterprise facilities.

APS, a non-profit membership organization, works to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through research journals, scientific meetings, education, outreach, advocacy and international activities. Ten fellows is the highest number of recipients LLNL has garnered in a single year. In the past 30 years, nearly 100 LLNL employees have been elected APS fellows.

The clue: This famous square mile is where you will discover the "Science of Security."

The answer: What is Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was featured in an entire category of clues on the TV game show "Jeopardy!," Monday, March 9. Called the "Science of Security," the category featured basic science questions that tie into LLNL facilities and programs, among them laser science and the National Ignition Facility, high performance computing and Sequoia, astrophysics and the GeMINI planet imager, satellite technology and LLNL’s work to track them for traffic control and breakthroughs in nanotechnology.

The LLNL category took place during the double jeopardy round. To test your knowledge of LLNL, click here.

More than 400 girls, grades six to nine, attended the recent Tri-Valley Expanding Your Horizons Conference on the Las Positas College campus in California. Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was a sponsor of the 37th annual event. The conference seeks to inspire girls to recognize their potential and pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

At this year's conference, “A Window into Your Future,” girls participated in group activities along with 90-minute hands-on workshops in chemistry, biotechnology, computer science, engineering, environmental science and robotics. There also was a career fair for participants and a program for parents on college planning, California university and state college academic requirements, transferring from community college to a four-year university and financial aid.

More than 100 volunteers from Lawrence Livermore, Sandia National Laboratories/California, Las Positas College and the American Association of University Women helped to coordinate the conference.

This weekend, students from the Rio Arriba, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Mora, San Miguel, Sandoval and Taos Counties will come together to participate in the 2nd annual Robowave Rally. The event, being held on Saturday, March 7th at the Northern New Mexico Community College, will consist of students working in teams to compete in robotic challenges ranging from beginner to advanced levels.

The event is not only an excellent opportunity for the participants to utilize teamwork and critical thinking skills, but also serves to expose them science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM fields) at an early age.

The rally is also being used as a practice day for the upcoming 13th annual Robowave International, New Mexico’s largest K-16 robotics competition, being held April 30th to May 2nd.

The Robowave Rally Northern New Mexico is supported by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Security, LLC, Northern New Mexico University and a number of other partners.

The Northwest Career and Technical Academy’s Science Bowl Team had the distinct honor of meeting with members of the Las Vegas City Council yesterday, in recognition of their winning the annual 2015 Nevada Science Bowl on January 30, 2015.

The Nevada Science Bowl is the premier academic competition in the region. NNSA’s Nevada Site Office is the signature sponsor of Nevada Science Bowl. Nevada Science Bowl also receives donations from Northrop-Grumman, National Security Technology (NSTec), Navarro-Intera, Centerra, the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Atomic Testing Museum and VegasPBS.

More than 2,000 middle school students near the Savannah River Site area recently put their engineering skills to the test during National Engineers week.

Science- and engineering-based demonstrations involving lasers, flying objects, dry ice and robotic creatures were introduced to students by employees from Savannah River Site management and operations contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS).

Known as “Teach-Ins,” 90 demonstrations were conducted by more than 40 SRNS engineers, scientists and technicians at 19 area middle schools with 7th grade students over a two-week period.

Teach-Ins have proven to be instrumental towards promoting the importance of a high level of math, science and technology literacy. SRNS volunteers provide interactive demonstrations and informative discussions to give students a broader understanding of the field of engineering.

Middle schools in seven nearby South Carolina and Georgia counties have participated in this outreach program managed and sponsored by SRNS since 2008. During this time period, more than 12,000 students from this region have benefited from the creative work and hours of effort provided by hundreds of enthusiastic Teach-In volunteers.